Chapter 10 - The Signature No One Questioned
The hallway exploded into motion.
Doctors rushed to Richard Holloway's side.
A crash cart rolled across the polished floor.
A respiratory therapist dropped to one knee.
"He's not breathing."
Another physician checked for a pulse.
"Nothing."
Dr. Allison Brooks immediately began CPR.
"Start compressions."
A nurse prepared the defibrillator.
"Charging."
Everyone stepped back.
"Clear!"
Richard's body jolted.
The heart monitor remained flat.
Again.
"Charging."
"Clear!"
Another shock.
Nothing.
Only the steady tone of the monitor filled the hallway.
Finally, Dr. Brooks stopped.
She looked at the clock on the wall.
Her shoulders sank.
"Time of death..."
She quietly announced the time.
Silence settled over the corridor.
A white sheet was gently pulled over Richard's body.
Emily stared at it in disbelief.
Only minutes earlier, he had been ready to confess.
Now he was dead.
Detective Harris crouched beside the body.
He carefully picked up the small white capsule Richard had dropped.
He sealed it inside an evidence bag.
"Forensics."
"Immediately."
The younger detective nodded.
"Already on it."
Raymond remained motionless.
His mind wasn't on Richard anymore.
It was on Richard's final words.
Board Chairman.
The title echoed in his thoughts.
Something didn't fit.
He turned toward the Chief Legal Counsel.
"I want the board appointment records."
"Every document."
"Every signature."
The attorney nodded.
"I'll have them within minutes."
Emily slowly stepped closer.
"I remember asking Preston about the appointment."
Raymond looked at her.
"What did he say?"
"He told me it was just routine paperwork."
She frowned.
"He said no one really cared who signed it."
Raymond's expression darkened.
"Someone cared."
Minutes later, the Chief Legal Counsel returned carrying a thick binder.
She placed it on a nearby table.
"These are the original records."
Raymond opened the binder.
The appointment resolution appeared near the front.
He examined every page.
Every signature.
Every date.
Everything appeared normal.
Until he reached the final page.
He stopped.
Emily noticed.
"What is it?"
Raymond didn't answer.
Instead, he handed the page to Detective Harris.
"Look at the witness signature."
The detective studied it.
Then frowned.
"It doesn't match."
"It matches whose?" Raymond asked.
The detective compared it with another document.
His eyebrows lifted.
"This isn't Richard Holloway's signature."
The attorney leaned over the page.
"You're right."
"It's been forged."
Emily felt a chill run down her spine.
"If Richard didn't witness the appointment..."
"...who did?"
The attorney flipped through additional records.
"There should be a security log."
She found it.
Her face changed immediately.
"The visitor log is missing."
Raymond looked up.
"Missing?"
"It should be attached."
"It isn't."
Detective Harris quietly closed the binder.
"Someone removed it."
Raymond folded his arms.
"Recently?"
The attorney nodded.
"The staple marks are fresh."
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
Someone had tampered with official board records.
Inside the hospital.
Very recently.
Detective Harris looked toward the hallway.
"Seal the records room."
"No one enters."
"No one leaves."
A security officer hurried away.
Meanwhile, another detective entered carrying a laptop.
"I've recovered the hospital's digital access logs."
He connected the computer to a nearby monitor.
Rows of names appeared.
Employee badges.
Door entries.
Restricted access.
The detective filtered the list.
"Board Archives."
The screen displayed every employee who had entered the records room over the past six months.
Most names appeared once.
Some appeared twice.
One name appeared twenty-seven times.
The room became silent.
Emily slowly read it aloud.
"...Margaret Ellis."
The Chief Legal Counsel looked stunned.
"Our Corporate Secretary?"
The detective nodded.
"Twenty-seven separate visits."
"Mostly after midnight."
Raymond frowned.
"Call her."
An assistant immediately dialed the number.
No answer.
Again.
Straight to voicemail.
The assistant looked uneasy.
"She isn't responding."
Detective Harris asked,
"Where is her office?"
"Fourth floor."
They hurried upstairs.
Margaret Ellis's office door stood slightly open.
The lights were still on.
Coffee sat untouched on the desk.
A computer screen displayed an unfinished email.
Her purse remained beside the chair.
But Margaret was gone.
Detective Harris slowly walked around the office.
"No signs of a struggle."
Another detective examined the computer.
"The email was never sent."
Raymond stepped closer.
"What was she writing?"
The detective enlarged the draft.
Only one sentence had been typed.
'If anything happens to me, do not trust the appointment records.'
Emily covered her mouth.
The detective searched the room carefully.
Inside the bottom desk drawer, he discovered a hidden envelope.
Across the front, written in black ink, were five words.
Only for Raymond Saint Claire.
Raymond carefully opened it.
Inside was a flash drive.
And a handwritten note.
His eyes moved quickly across the page.
The color drained from his face.
Emily had seen that expression only once before.
The day her mother died.
"What does it say?"
Raymond remained silent.
"Uncle..."
He slowly handed the note to Detective Harris instead.
"I want this entered into evidence."
The detective glanced at the first line.
His eyes widened.
"What?"
Emily asked again.
Raymond finally answered.
"It says..."
He paused.
"...the board chairman wasn't elected."
"He was installed."
Before anyone could react, every light in the executive wing suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the hallway.
Emergency lights flickered red.
An alarm began echoing through the hospital.
Then a calm computerized voice repeated over the intercom.
"Security lockdown initiated."
"All exits are now sealed."
The detectives instinctively reached for their flashlights.
A security officer shouted from the far end of the corridor.
"Someone just accessed the executive server room!"
Detective Harris turned toward the sound.
"Who?"
The officer checked his radio.
His voice shook.
"The system says..."
He looked up, confused.
"...the access card belongs to Richard Holloway."
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Everyone froze.
Richard had been declared dead less than ten minutes earlier.
